Kalman: Boston-Loving Krug Could Make Bruins' Ante Up After Contract Year – CBS Local

FOXBORO (CBS) — If you think Bruins rookie general manager Don Sweeney has been busy this summer, just wait until next summer.
With Loui Eriksson, Chris Kelly, Max Talbot and Kevan Miller up for unrestricted free agency, Sweeney will have money to spend under the salary-cap ceiling and roster spots to fill.
Another potential dilemma for Sweeney will be how to retain the services of defenseman Torey Krug, who will be a restricted free agent again after playing this season; his second straight one-year deal.
Krug signed his current extension toward the end of last season with the thought that he’d be able to cash in bigger down the road.
That’s still the plan for the 24-year-old.
“I’m a very determined individual,” Krug said after the Winter Classic press conference at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday. “I obviously want to be here and I want to play for this team. Being a Boston Bruin is very important to me. That’s one of the reasons I chose to come here, the organization and everything that comes with it. For me, it’s about this year, showing your worth, your value. Obviously the main is to win the Stanley Cup. If you win a Stanley Cup then that helps prove to everybody what you’re worth, what your value is.
“It’s a big year for me. I want the stability for my family and obviously for my mental sake, sanity and everything. It would be great. But I’m very determined.”
Krug has already backed up his words about wanting to remain in Boston. As we’ve learned this summer, sometimes a restricted free agent can pressure a team’s hand and force his way out of town.
Krug signed a one-year contract before the 2014-15 season after a long negotiation the Bruins, and then he signed his extension in the spring.
He’s even spent most of his summer in the Boston area this year. He’s the anti-Dougie Hamilton.
The next trick for the Bruins will be to determine how much Krug is worth both based on his performance and his place in the lineup and within their budget.
He’s improved his all-around play every season and continued to be the type of dynamic offensive player from …Read More